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' AMOS s. AUSTIN, 0F PHILADELPHiA, PENNSYLVAMA.

- lMPROVEWiENTlN FIRE-EXTINGUISHERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. HQQJDB'H, dated April 94, 1877 applicationfiled H i April 12, 1877, i 1

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1,.Amos S. Ans'rm, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful improvement in Fire-Extinguishers, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to make a fire-extinguisher the operation of which is due to the expansion of any object which will expand, or the shape of which will be altered under the influence of heat.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is a vertical section of one form of apparatus. 7

In this case A, is a casing, which may be of cylindrical form, and which is separated into compartments B, D, E, and F by the two horizontal partitions a and b and a cylindrical par tition, d.

The compartment B contains a glass vessel, G, which is, in the present instance, of a.

spherical form, and contains sulphuric acid, the vessel resting on the edge of an opening, f, in the partition a, and being steadied in its place by the fixed cylinder d.

On the partition b in the compartment E is deposited a mass of carbonate of lime. Two elastic diaphragms, m and n, are st: cured together at their outer edges, and the lower diaphragm is attached to the base of the casing A,the space within the diaphragms being filled with sulphuric ether, or other substance which readily expands underthe influence of a slight heat.

The apex of the upper diaphragm m is in or nearly so, with one arm of a lever,

that the teeth on the lever U will fracture the glass vessel, the contents of which will be precipitated onto the carbonate of lime, and the result of this will be the generationof a gas, which passes through perforations in the partition a into the chamber D, and thence through perforations in the casing A into the room, thereby arresting the incipient conflagration.

A screw, h, permits such an adjustment of the levers in respect to the vessel G and the diaphragms as to insure proper action.

The levers, although I prefer to use them, may be dispensed with, and a guided rod may extend from the apex of the upper diaphragm to, or nearly to, the vessel G. In place of the elastic diaphragms, and the ether between them, a bar, M, consisting of a strip of iron combined with a like strip of copper, may be used, the bar being confined between ahutments y y at the opposite lower corners of the casing A. (See Fig. 3.)

of the two metals underlhe influence of heat will'causc the bar to rise in the middle, therevers, and causing the crushing of the vessel G.

will readily suggest themselves as appropriate mediums through which the heat may be caused to actuate a device for crushing or' fracturing the vessel G.

The vessel may be fractured by a springhammer, as shown in Fig. 2, and the power. caused by the expansion of the object, instead II, which is pivoted at a: to the partition b, the other arm of the lever being connected by a red, I, to one arm of a second lever, J, which is pivoted to the partition a,'and the other arm of which is armed with hardened teeth, the latter being in contact, or nearly so, with the bottom of the vessel G.

The apparatus is to be fixed in any room or cabin, especially such as contains objects or materiaisofaninflammablecharacter. Should a fire occur it cannot-make much headway before'the sulphuric ether between the two diahave the less duty of simply operating a catch, to, so as to release the hammer to perform its affords a suilicient explanation.

The vessel may be fractured by causing it to drop on a hard object, as shown in Fig. 4, the vessel being sustained in its compartment the heat, so that the vessel will fall against a projection, t, and will consequently be tractnred. f I t phragms begins to expand, when the upper diaphragm will so act on the system of levers The well-known difference in the expansion by imparting the desired movements to the le- Other objects or combinations of materials of being exerted directly on the vessel, may

duty, in a manner of which the diaphragm by a latch, p, and the latch being released by s an arm, q, whose movement is dependent upon 7 Other equivalent plans of retaining the ves- Se] and causing it to fall will readily suggest I themselves.- It may, for instance, be suspended by a cord to be severed by a suitable knife or shears actuated by the force of an object expanding under the influence 0f heak' I claim asmy invention- The combination, in a fire-extinguishing apparatus, of a friable vessel containing sulphuric acid, a chamber containing carbonate of lime, an object which will readily expand; under the influence of heat, and devices, substantially as described, whereby the movementof the said object, when expanded, is

caused to fracture the vessel, all substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subs'eribin g witnesses;

. I v. AMOS S. AUSTIN.

1 Witnesses: v 1

HERMANN MOESSNER, HARRY SMITH. 

